Filed under: Gadgets

Following the introduction of the limited edition Leica M8 Safari we wrote about in January, the famed camera company is releasing the D-LUX 4 Safari (above). The special limited edition model will be available in August. The body of the camera features an anodized olive green surface finish which is particularly resistant to wear and guarantees long-term protection against inadvertent damage. Like all models in the Leica D-LUX 4 series, the Safari has a tough metal body manufactured exclusively from the finest materials.

The 10.1 megapixel Safari edition’s technical features such as a high-performance lens and lightning-fast image processing offer versatile options for any number of photographic situations. A waterproof carrying case is included with the camera, offering ample room for optional accessories for the D-LUX 4 collection such as a handgrip, optical viewfinder or flash. Additionally, the back of the case has a compartment containing a nylon “rain cape” that can be pulled out to cover the whole case and protect it from the elements.

Leica D-LUX 4 Safari Limited Edition originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Spirits, Wine

Nothing says summer like a nice cool glass of something sparkly. Well, now you can make anything bubbly!

The SodaStream is a DIY home carbonating machine with no electrical parts, nothing too tricky or messy, and a small splurge price of around $100. The Fountain Jet Start-Up Kit, with which I had the pleasure of experimenting, is currently on sale for $89.99 (normally $139.99) — and it’s perfect for both you and your dad for Father’s Day.

How it works: You get the lightweight Fountain Jet, two BPA-free bottles, and a 110-liter Carbonator which makes approximately 110 liters of seltzer. You can select from a number of flavors for sparkling water, or buy their syrups in all kinds of varieties: cola, diet cola, root beer, orange soda, diet grapefruit, tonic, and more.

You put cold water in the bottle, then the bottle and the Carbonator in the Fountain Jet, and press the button on the top to infuse the water with seltzer. Like sparkling water? You’re done. If you want soda pop, you add syrup — which I can honestly recommend; it truly tastes like root beer, cola, or whatever it states — and you have soda pop!

Not only is it fun to make yourself, but their syrups have no high-fructose corn syrup or aspartame, and you’re also doing the planet a favor by not adding cans and bottles to landfills — and the servings come out to pennies-per-glass.

So what’s luxurious about this? You can use it on anything — turn your whites and even reds to sparkling cocktails or make the most alcoholic gin and tonic ever (by mixing a tiny tonic syrup into sparkling gin). Look through the gallery to see, and click here to shop for a SodaStream.

Sparkling Shiraz, Anyone? originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces

Ulysse Nardin surprised the haute horology world a few months ago with the announcement of a luxury smart phone. I originally discussed the Ulysse Nardin Chairman here, but recently got to sit down and personally experience three of the Chairman models my self. I also got to learn a lot more about what makes the Ulysse Nardin Chairman a real luxury of a mobile phone. I got to see the blue and satin steel, the black-toned model (very sexy!), and the blue steel and rose gold (very Ulysse Nardin!). The phone is large and pleasantly hefty - I would describe it more as comfortable and solid feeling rather than intimidating.

The back piece of the watch is made of a carbon fiber plate and a black ceramic plate (mobile phone antenna radio signals don’t travel through metal well). The keypad features massive comfortable keys and excellent backlighting - and the screen is one huge sapphire crystal. Ulysse Nardin finally confirmed that the phone’s operating system will be very special to the phone rather than just a skinned version of an existing mobile phone operating system.
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Continue reading Ulysse Nardin Chairman Smart Phone Hands On

Ulysse Nardin Chairman Smart Phone Hands On originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces

Proving once again that luxury brands have no sense of humor, Cartier sued Apple over an iPhone app that displayed obvious fake watches including a version that looked like Cartier’s popular Tank design. The “Fake Watch” and “Fake Watch Gold Edition” apps granted users to show the time on ” look-alike famous wristwatches” on Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The obvious fakes used names like “Relax” for Rolex and “Carpark” for Cartier. “Fake Watch” was a free download and “Fake Watch Gold Edition” sold for 99 cents in Apple’s iTunes store. No word on if Cartier sued the maker of the app, Digitopolis Game Studio.

But nearly as soon as the fracas began, it was over. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cartier is withdrawing the suit that it filed earlier in the same day after the apps were removed from iTunes.

Cartier’s Short-Lived Apple Lawsuit originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 23 May 2009 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces

It was only a matter of time before the famed Tag Heuer Meridiist phone got a diamond make over. It is an official diamond make over too, not one of those aftermarket jobs. I’m as much a fan of luxury as the next luxe lover, but what is the deal with diamonds on phones? As though a $5,000 - $8,000 phone was not enough given that it will go technologically extinct in a few years? Your future paper weight needs diamond decoration as well? Plus, nothing say’s “ergonomics” quite like the jagged edges of fine cut stones against your palms and the side of your face. The Meridiist Diamant phones will likely go for between about $10,000 and $30,000.

The new phones will be known as the Meridiist Diamant collection and will come in two styles with 208 diamonds or the “imperial regalia of mobile phones” with 1232 diamonds. Tag Heuer says that the Meridiist Diamant phones will be marketed toward women, which makes sense. While very high-priced, the base line of Meridiist phones is really quire cool - at leat on the outside from a construction and materials standpoint. It should be cool however to have a phone with a massive sapphire crystal as the screen. I do feel that if you’re willing to make the investment, you’ll be happy with the phone, at least until you want to get another phone.

Remember what I stated about the phone being obsolete in a few years due to the rapid progression of mobile phone hardware and software? Well get this: Tag Heuer places the Meridiist Diamant phone in a wooden jewelry presentation box “in which to preserve and store your investment for future generations.” Really? As an antique for a time capsule maybe? A mechanical watch will still be useful for “future generations, but a digital mobile phone? Envision giving your mini cellular tower suitcase phone from the mid 1980s to a 16 year old this day and gauge how “awesome” they think it will be. That’s the idea.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

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Tag Heuer Meridiist Mobile Phone, Now With Diamonds originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 18 Might 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets

You might think the diamond-covered phone market had dried up in this economy but companies are still creating them. Luxury designer and jeweler Knalihs Athem has come out with their latest diamond-covered phones: The Diamond Blackberry Bold(BlackBeauty) and The Diamond Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte(SnowWhite). The custom phones can be decorated with pink, yellow, black, champagne and white diamonds and personalized with initials, lucky number, logos and anything else your heart and back account desire. Each one is a custom creation even though the Nokia clearly offers more room for stones to be inlaid. The Knalihs Athem Blackberry Bold looks nearly modest by comparison with its small rim of diamonds.
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The Diamond-Covered Blackberry Bold originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 16 May 2009 21:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Men’s Style

What better way to keep your precious electronic essentials all cozy and protected than in sleek and chic fine wool felt? Pretty much guaranteed to always stay in style, the Hard Graft High Collection is classic, easy, and beautiful functionality at its best. Featuring woolen and leather sleeves for everything from your Macbook to your iPhone to your Kindle and Moleskine, the only thing missing (in my opinion) is a choice of colors — if only for making it easier to tell items apart if you have more than one to wrap up in felt.

The sleeve shown above is the Macbook sleeve plus the add-on pouch for €128. See the rest of the collection in the gallery below.

Via acquire
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Hard Graft High Collection originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 14 May 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Decor, Gadgets, Wheels, Sports

For $10,000 you can get a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture crafted from the gearbox of Ferrari’s F2000 Formula 1 racecar. At the end of the 2000 racing season, the complete 7-speed gearbox was signed by Ferrari’s championship-winning driver Michael Schumacher, Scuderia Ferrari Executive Director Jean Todt and Ferrari CEO Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo. It was mounted to a 18″x18″ carbon wall plaque with an authentic Ferrari fender shield mounted in the middle. Performance furniture firm RaceChairs is now offering it for $10,000 with the option of having a custom lamp or table (above) completed showcasing the gearbox. RaceChairs notes that due to the espionage problems with rival teams, Scuderia Ferrari is no longer releasing these kinds of pieces to private collectors, so this is your last chance.

[RaceChairs via BornRich]

$10,000 Ferrari F1 Gearbox Table originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 09 Might 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces

The Marc Newson designed Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos 561 clock is over a year past its initial announcement, but these items take a while from announcement to release. The Atmos clock has been an iconic piece of technology for Jaeger LeCoultre. I don’t even fully understand how they work, but the principle is that changes in a room’s atmosphere causes a portion of the clock to expand and retract. The changes in the atmosphere are deviations in the temperature. This ongoing movement of the expanding element helps to power the movement, nearly perpetually. The Atmos clock has been around for over 80 years (since 1928).

While the standard designs of the Atmos clocks have always been entertaining, famous designer Marc Newson was brought aboard to help create what is essentially a retro themed piece. Typical of Newson’s organic minimalist curves, the clock movement is housed in a massive Baccarat crystal. New functions to the clock appear to be a month indicator as well as a moon phase indicator.

From a design perspective the Atmos 561 clock looks totally different than other models - if only because they traditionally used gold (maybe brass) tones as opposed to steel tones with lots of crystal. The look of the watch is attractive, with the face being legible. You might argue that the counter weights on the hands are too long, but they are there for purely visual reasons to help maintain a degree of symmetry in the design. Large news for the Atmos 561 clock was that it was recently showcased by Jaeger LeCoultre at the Salon del Mobile in Milan, with an exhibition dedicated to the Atmos clock, along with a presentation of the clock’s development and history.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

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Jaeger LeCoultre Showcases the Marc Newson Designed Atmos 561 Clock originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 08 May 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces

A lot of people ask me if there are devices that will help them keep their manually-wound (hand wound via the crown) mechanical watches wound, so that they don’t have to wind them everyday or so. Automatic mechanical watches have all sorts of winders that mimic the oscillation needed for the watches to be wound - that would occur as though you were wearing them. Automatic watch movement winders are simple to find, and devices that wind manually wound watches are more rare, and of course high-priced.

Manually wound watch winders all pretty much look the same. The watch is placed into a vice like grip, and an adjustable claw of sorts is hooded over the crown. This claw is attached to an arm that spins in the right direction to wind the watch. The machine must be capable of sensing resistance so that it can stop spinning, so as not to damage the movement with over-winding.

The whole point of a watch winder is to be convenient, so that you don’t have to wind the watch yourself if you are not wearing it. Thus, it is utterly ironic that the beautiful Bernard Favre Crown Winder must be manually wound itself. That’s right, the Crown Winder device, is a manually wound watch winder for manually wound watches. This is starting to sound awfully ironic and perplexing. The nature of the device requires that you wind it yourself, so that it can wind your watch, itself. Yea, I don’t quite get it either. Even if the power reserve in the Bernard Favre Crown Winder is longer than your watch’s power reserve, it still has the same downfall. Though I don’t think this is the case as I believe it has a 24 hour power reserve cycle.

The Crown Winder looks great, and I have no doubt is of a high quality commensurate with the luxury pricing, but is it just me, or did the designers totally gloss over the point of why people even want to invest in manually wound watch winders in the first place?

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Irony Of The Bernard Favre Manually-Wound Watch Crown Winder originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 07 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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